When
something has been around longer than chocolate, has more
followers than Oprah Winfreys Twitter account and is
as good for the soul as a compassionate TED talk, how can
it be bad? For thousands of years in India, the practice of
yoga has been a respected tool for health and vitality. But
as we turn up the studio temperature to exactly 40.5 degrees
Celsius, add the power to our yoga and balance
frantic cycling with downward dogs in something called Spynga,
we must be aware that new, modern forms of yoga come with
associated risks.

Here
are four common risk factors and the best ways to prepare
your body for class.

1.
No assessment: If muscular balance is the destination,
then the initial assessment is the dot on the map that reads
You are here. Without a starting point that identifies
existing asymmetries, balancing the body with
equal work may reinforce past deficits and move your body
in the wrong direction.

Fix:
Find a professional to give you a detailed musculo-skeletal
assessment and provide you with a plan that reflects your
postural imbalances, stability and mobility deficits, compensatory
patterns and level of core function.